Action in Asia

Short Documentaries about Social Movements in East and South East Asia

Unfortunately your browser does not support html5 video

In these ten short documentaries, various social movements in East and Southeast Asia are presented. The interviews were made in Japan, the Philippines, Taiwan, South Korea and Hong Kong.

In Japan, the themes deal with coming to terms with the history of the Second World War, especially the struggle of the so-called "Comfort Women". Another story is about the "Zenkyoto“, the Japanese student movement active from the 1960’s until today. Activists from Tokyo and Osaka show their solidarity with the "Nojukusha", the Japanese homeless, through their organizations. In the fourth film, a Japanese musical and activist group "Ainu Rebels" talk about the discrimination against the indigenous population.

In the Philippines, an autonomous center explains their guerrilla gardening and Food Not Bombs projects. In the context of global agriculture, farmers and NGOs tell their story about organizing against the use of pesticides in banana plantations. A Taiwanese activist talks about the battle against the expulsion of people from a former sanatorium for people with Hansen's disease. From South Korea, the perspectives from protesters at a "Free Burma" demonstration are shown and in the second documentary an activist retells the struggle of the village of Daechu-ri against the extension of the adjacent U.S. military base. In Hong Kong, the struggle of citizens against gentrification measures are explained.

These short documentaries are introductions to the issues to help increase the exposure of Asian Social Movements.

Movie produced by Black Helmet Productions

Runtime: 1:43:01 Min. in 10 Clips plus Intro and Credits

Multilingual DVD
Footage produced in 2007, 2008, 2009
DVD produced in 2011

License: Creative Commons - CC BY-NC-SA

Original Interviews in Japanese, Cantonese, Korean, Mandarin, Tagalog and English

More Films about: Globalisation

an ((i))ndymedia production

In November, 2003, trade ministers from 34 countries met in Miami, Florida, to negotiate the Free Trade Area of the Americas (FTAA). The FTAA threatens to devastate workers, the environment, and public services like health care, education, and water, and to destroy indigenous rights and cultural diversity across North, Central, and South America.

From the front-lines of conflicts in Mexico, Argentina, South Africa, Israel/Palestine, Korea, North America and Europe.

Millions of homeless people in South Africa fight for their right to a decent home and against the privatisation of water. In Chiapas, indigenous people drive away the Mexican army from their land that is being sold out to the global market. After the economic collapse in Argentina in December 2001, we see a population\'s uprising and its attempt to organise beyond state and market structures.